If Life Has Thrown You a Curveball, Read This. (#TellHisStory)

I spent the weekend with a few dozen women at a retreat in central Iowa. I led three sessions, but also had a lot of time to sit one-on-one with my new sisters, praying with them and hearing their stories.

Over and over, I heard the same theme through their tears: “I never anticipated this.”

For every one of those women, life was heading in the exact opposite of the way they had planned. Yet underneath the tears, their hearts were groping for a reliable God who keeps His promises.

It’s true: Everything changes.

“But You remain the same.” (Hebrews 1:12)

“For I am the LORD, I change not.” (Malachi 3:6)

In the back of the chapel, on Saturday night, I was meditating on our unchanging God. He’s the steady Rock underneath all the shifting sands.

We watched and sang as an artist on the stage painted a picture with delicate strokes.

What emerged was an exquisite butterfly, with wings open wide, stretching from frame to frame.

Watching the artist, I imagined how — even before the world began — God stood before some great canvas, carefully crafting every detail of every one of us.

Before He painted the Grand Canyon or the most stunning sunset or the blush of trees in autumn, He painted you.

“Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love.” Ephesians 1:4 (The Message)

But because we live in a broken and busted-up world, life gets messy. We lose sight of the beauty.

To make her point, the artist grabbed a can of black spray paint. And then she started spraying all over the masterpiece she had created. The audience gasped. I wanted to run up to her and grab her arm, to make her stop. I was so sad to see her wreck such beauty.

I imagined that’s how God feels when I try to cover up the beauty He’s made. When I cover the beauty up with the masks I wear, with my try-hard efforts to get it right, with my feeble attempts at impression management, with my stubborn refusal to obey, with my own sin, with my unwillingness to surrender to Him during the inevitable changes in my life.

I imagined God wanting to stop us when we cover up the beauty. But He doesn’t stop us. Furthermore, none of this surprises Him. He is not shocked by the mess in the masterpiece.

Because underneath it all, He is still working.No matter what season we are in, God is at work.

He hasn’t turned His back on us. He’s turning something IN us.

Even in the midst of the mess, you are still a masterpiece. You are still the focus of His love.

I don’t know what your “mess” is. I don’t know what season of change you’re in. I don’t know what beauty you’ve tried to cover up, by pretending it was all okay. But I’ll bet you know exactly what I’m talking about. You’ve been hurt by betrayal, by unmet expectations, by the feeling that you’ve been left behind, by the natural tendency of friendships to change, by children moving off to college, by something you regret doing, by unanticipated change.

There are two guarantees in life:

1 – Your circumstances will always change.

2 – Your God will never change.

After the artist spray-painted her canvas, she turned the picture around, to show that the painting hadn’t been ruined at all. She had been painting on a window. It was even more beautiful than what we had first seen. What does that mean for us?

It means that the biggest changes in our lives are windows through which we can see God revealing His great glory. Underneath the mess, the masterpiece remains. He’s turning you around. Just watch, and behold the beauty.

In Girl Meets Change, Kristen tells us that change is inevitable. But with Christ, she says, change isn’t something to be feared. It is something to be received as a blessing from a God who is working THROUGH it, not in spite of it.

Sometimes, Kristen says, “you must leave the comforts of what is to embrace the potential of what will be.”

It may look like the masterpiece that God made is a complete mess. It may look like it’s all falling apart. But, like Kristen says, we have everything we need to handle that change, because we have everything we need in Christ.

Two-Book Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Kristen’s new book, Girl Meets Change, I’m giving away two copies!

If you’ve experienced change in your life, you’ll want this book. Change is inevitable, but thriving through it is optional. Every woman needs this inspiring message.

#TellHisStory

Hey Tell His Story crew! It is always a joy to gather here every week with you. The linkup goes live each Tuesday at 4 p.m. (CT). If you would use the badge on your blog, found here, that would be great! And if you would visit at least one other blogger in the link-up and encourage them with a comment, that would be beautiful! Be sure to check the sidebar later. I’ll be featuring one of you over there! Our featured writer this week is Marcy Hanson. She writes about when brave isn’t easy and I am so encouraged and strengthened by the honesty in her words. Find Marcy here. To be considered as our featured writer, be sure to use our badge or a link to my blog from your post. 🙂 xo Jennifer

Jennifer, this was such a beautiful illustration of God’s love for us and it reminds me of The Message’s John 5:15, which talks of a relationship that is both intimate and organic. I’ve been meditating on this Scripture the past few days and it strikes me that for me at least this organic nature has been very painful, but extremely important at stripping back the layers…getting rid of the black spraypaint from your story. And the more change and heartache…the more my pride is stripped and the more aware I become of just how amazing our God is and how gobsmacking His grace truly is. Thank you for your encouraging words.

Thank you for the real life illustration of God’s unending love for each of us. These words sum it up for me
“Even in the midst of the mess, you are still a masterpiece. You are still the focus of His love.”
Thank you for reminding us all that God is the unchanging force that holds us through all of our own change.

What a great image – black to beautiful. And i love this: Before He painted the Grand Canyon or the most stunning sunset or the blush of trees in autumn, He painted you.
(I forget.)
“Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love.” Ephesians 1:4 (The Message)

I know God used to you encourage those ladies. Thanks for sharing this!

I resist change–mostly because after going through a rapidly changing traumatic time in my life, I feel as if I could much better arrange my circumstances, thank you very much. But each time I get too clingy to my schedule or MY way of doing something, God always gently reminds me that even though the change was rapid and traumatic, it was GOOD. It was needed. It was ordained by HIM.

I love this post and the butterfly illustration. “I imagined that’s how God feels when I try to cover up the beauty He’s
made. …” And I’d love to read the book. Thanks, as always, for your insight, Jennifer.

I’ve wanted this book since the first time I’ve seen it. My world was turned upside down when my husband was accused of sexually assaulting our two year old daughter. Anybody reading, please pray for me and my family.

Jennifer, this message is so inspiring and hope-filled. I cringed when I read the artist sprayed black paint over that beautiful butterfly, and I was awed that the picture was still on the other side. Wow! What a comforting analogy! Thank you!

Ahhh – so many changes, all bundled together! I graduated grad school, thought I would be moving home after a dry season of applications, only to get a dream offer the day before my movers were coming! I start my new job in just two weeks!

I so much appreciate your deep and profound messages — this workshop sounds so rich, what a gift woman could share such grief in the arms of other women and God’s grace. The painting of the butterfly and illustration is beautiful. Thank you much!!

Jennifer, thank you, thank you, thank you! So much THIS: ” It means the biggest changes in our lives are windows through which we can see God revealing His great glory. Underneath the mess, the masterpiece remains. He’s turning you around. Just watch, and behold the beauty.” I totally would have wanted to grab that spray can out of her hands too. I am so glad takes our brokenness. “Weeping may come for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”–Psalm 30:5

Change. It has been the theme for us for 2015. All we had/have determined to be for the bad. A tractor fire in March; straight line winds in June ripped the tarp off a hoop building and the biggie: Land we/ my in-laws had rented for 30 yrs was sold at auction in July. Now trying to get last cutting of hay cut and it looks like it will be an early harvest. No corn = no feed for our dairy cows. They will probably be sold next winter. I went back to college; my husband decided a full time job closer to home would be good (he was working PT and drove 31 miles one way). He was all set to start a job when the one he is at now, came to our attention a week before he was to start the other one. This one was a God thing, even the secretary said it. It was a position that the employer had been looking to fill since June 1 and wasn’t even on our radar. Now he comes home today and asks if i want to work there too, in a different capacity! whoa!! So more praying. I once heard someone say at a meeting that “change is inevitable; growth is a choice.” Change is uncomfortable. It can hurt a great deal. It stretches us far beyond where we ever thought we would be able to reach. God is always with us leading our way but it is hard for me to let go, to not be in charge. I read once that God gives us enough light to see one step at a time, not the whole staircase. I often read your posts and feel like you are speaking to me, or another friend may come to mind. Blessings to you. 🙂

I would like to win this book because I’ve never handled change well. After losing my grandma last December, I’ve felt I’ve slowly woken up to change you can’t resist, you have to go through it. I really would just like more encouragement.

Change… the story of my life… abused and unwanted as a child…left home at 17 … married too young… each relationship brought more and more abuse… lived in about 10 states… moved about 30 times withing each area… make more mistakes than I can count. And yet, Jesus still loves me. Oh how I would love a book and is it possible to get a print of that painting ???

Jennifer,
Oh so many changes I’ve gone through in life…some welcomed…some my worst nightmare. Through it all, God was always faithful to reach out His righteous right hand and to hold me up, even when I couldn’t hold onto Him. So thankful I have an unchanging God when the world around me is continually shifting. Would love to read Kristen’s new book!
Blessings,
Bev

Did you hear me gasp when you got to the part about the spray paint? I keep reading about this book in various places, and I think God is trying to tell me that I need to read it. I have been through a job change this year. Both of my kids are now in college. We just lost our 7.5 month old puppy last week. I’m trying to see where God is leading me, but I feel a little bit like that “complete mess”. I’m trying to embrace it, but I don’t know that I’m doing such a great job. Thank you for this post. It was very timely. <3

I never dreamed i would have two sons with chronic illnesses! Life is very different than what my husband and I planned, and it’s ever-changing. I would love to win and read this book! Thank you for the giveaway!

JDL, this is breathtaking. Every word is just glorious. And this right here: “It means the biggest changes in our lives are windows through which we can see God revealing His great glory. Underneath the mess, the masterpiece remains. He’s turning you around. Just watch, and behold the beauty.” Gah YES. In the middle of hard change, may I never forget how he’s turning me around.

What a beautiful reminder. Sometimes it’s only in hindsight we can look back and see how he used all of that mess and change for good. I’m so thankful we serve an unchanging God who loves us despite our brokenness. Thank you, Jennifer. Love this.

The times of greatest change in my life have brought pain, but they’ve also brought a sweet new depth in my relationship with God and a tried and true understanding of His goodness that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Big changes in my life for the last 3 yrs. Serious illness and surgeries with my husband, new grandchild, struggling with depression and anxiety, needing knee surgery myself. Some days I just want it all to stop!!!.

Your posts often bring me to tears, Jennifer — tears that well up from the depths of my soul where the real me lives — the me that struggles from time to time with doubt, insignificance, discouragement. The tears come as I sense my Heavenly Father speaking to me through your words, words like: “Underneath the mess, the masterpiece remains. He’s turning you around. Just watch, and behold the beauty.” I’m thinking: underneath the mess that is me, my unchanging Master remains. He’s still working, turning trouble to triumph. I may not see the beauty this side of heaven, but I can trust him to work all things for good. Praise God and thank you, Jennifer!

These 2 ground us so well…
1 – Your circumstances will always change.
2 – Your God will never change.

And the painting? Stunningly beautiful! Sounds as though it was a meaningful weekend, overflowing the Holy Spirit’s touch.
Kristen’s book ~ just finished reading it and will be reviewing it Fri. on my blog. Wonderful! (If, by chance I win, please feel free to donate the book or pick another winner.) Thanks!

Life indeed throws curveballs. Mine was a cancer diagnosis at age 33. The past almost three years have been filled with ups and downs along the way but the change has been grounded in the Lord. I have met so many people that I never would have had the opportunity or circumstance to meet along this winding journey. We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful family, friend, and community network that has kept us in their prayers. Thank-you for the chance to win this book!

As a 19 year old college student, change has been inevitable. I have already transferred colleges once and I am completely undecided in my major. Change is hard, transitions suck. But, God is teaching me so many things through it all. The blogpost highlighted lessons that He is softening my heart to. Through the darkness, He is always the beauty. ps: I worked at this Bible camp this summer and I love how God’s speaks to His children in that place. So powerful.

I’m so glad I wrote this morning… before reading this because — Kindred, my friend… and connected to the One who sings over us all, and makes all things new! I love you so! (And that painting!!! Oh my!) I was just listening to a sermon and the guy said that wounds become windows into our souls that tell stories about us and God! It’s so funny because, for some reason (–probably the ‘tell stories’ part!) I thought of you when I heard him say that. And then today, reading this – and seeing the painting, you know, ON a window… just wow! So good!

This gives me hope:”No matter what season we are in, God is at work.” and also knowing there is beauty in the mess, and a masterpiece in the making, even when we cannot see it yet. I love the butterfly as a symbol of freedom and grace arising from confining circumstances. Thank you, Jennifer, for this beautiful word. It did my heart good to read it. x

My small group that I first attended, then became co-facilitator for over 10 years is coming to an end… It was a big part of my life, but I can see God doing some big changes in my life lately and He is helping me to see just what Jennifer has written, that I am to “embrace the potential of what will be”. Thanks for the awesome post. So glad our awesome God never changes!

What a beautiful, heart-reaching illustration. Even when we feel like we understand how our story is unfolding, our perspective can be so limited. God’s work is never limited by our limited point of view. Praise Him for that! Thanks for this encouraging message. <3